the cheers of the crowd were annoying. Nina slightly leaned over the railing uninterested just to watch Tomoe leave the arena. it seemed to her that Tomoe would do just about anything for attention. she had won but she could have not almost killed the girl. Nina sneered at the thought.

though Nina was #1 coral, she didn't flaunt it around and almost kill people it just wasn't in her nature.

"oi..."

the voice brought Nina out of her thoughts. she turn swiftly at the voice and stood.

"Gakuenchou!" Nina made a low bow.

"what did i miss?" Principal Kruger asked while walking to stand next to the student overlooking the arena. "everyone seems excited."

Nina paused before straightening up again. "Tomoe won the duel" her apathetic tone matched Natsuki's rather well.

"i see... she's pretty good." Nina visibly tensed at the statement. Kruger rested her arms on the ledge. "...not as good as you though."

Nina smiled, she seldom liked compliments but from Kruger it felt genuine. in fact Kruger almost treated Nina like family at times. and that was even better with her father always gone...

"oh, and where's shi- Viola-san?" Natsuki coughed to divert from the little mistake in front of a student.

Nina's brows furrowed, yet her face remained as unreadable as always. "i haven't seen her Gakuenchou."

Natsuki's brows furrowed also as Nina rested her arms along the railing, to anyone looking in their direction they would have looked like mother and daughter. they both let out a sigh in unison.

Shizuru had hardly seen the headmaster all day, since she was out taking care of official business. She had of course come back to see the fight and made a point of moving around the crowd, in order to "connect with the students".

"Well don't you two look enthusiastic?" Shizuru's movements had been so smooth and quiet that both Nina and Natsuki jumped a little at her voice. "Were you looking for me Natsu-, I mean Gakuencho?" Shizuru smiled as a slight blush from the principal confirmed that her tease had registered well. She laughed a little at the principal's inattentive posture. "Don't get too comfortable now. We've got work to do later you know." She winked, leaving Natsuki confused as to whether she was serious or not.

She bent down dangerously close to Nina's ear. "You shouldn't slouch either, Coral Number One."

Natsuki slightly fumed as a crimson moved a shock wave through Nina's entire being. Nina in turn straightened up fast, nearly knocking herself backwards in the process. Natsuki pinched the bridge of her nose hoping to regain some composure and take away the slight tinge in her cheeks.

'we're not students anymore, how can she still do this?' Kruger thought.

"well it's about time you showed up." Natsuki said gruffly crossing her arms while trying to look composed. it wasn't working seeing as Nina let out a soft giggle.

Natsuki was just so very excited at Shizuru's appearance that she... well... said the first thing that came to mind. she then let out a soft sigh, kicking herself for being so, strange, around...her.

Nina looked between the two. she desperately needed to learn how to control blushes like Gakuencho could... though she couldn't do it too well considering but it was better than her right now.

"uh... i, should be going" Nina started "my match is next." she then stalked to the door before turning back to the two with a bow "Gakuencho, Viola-sama." then left.

now the two were left alone, to Natsuki's discomfort. she almost called out for Nina to stay. it wasn't because she didn't want to be alone with her it was just the fact that she hated herself for being emotionally clingy, and the urge to tackle the woman in a fierce... hug at the moment was killing her but, she did have her pride...

then the realization hit "WAIT!" she kicked herself off the railing and glared at the beautiful woman "what kind of work? gah! i hate work! and what did you whisper to Nina!?" the blush creeped onto her face again.

damnit

---

Nina made her way down the large steps and down the hall only to stop when she saw the winner of the last match.

"Tomoe?"

Nina questioned to herself as she strode forward only to see another girl in front of her.

SpiderNeKoHiME wrote:((i want to meet up with luis first! then i will kill kruger-san later >:3 ))

on her way to the outside of garderobe tomoe discovers a lost girl wandering around the campus grounds. "who or what is she..."

Arika turned her head and noticed a poised female standing near the terminal station. She rushes over like an eager child trying to chase an ice cream truck. "HEY! You have a strange uniform! Maybe you can help me, I'm sorta lost in this city and I need to find this 'Garderobe Academy' everyone is talking about." With a tilt of her head and a friendly smile, Arika reaches her hand out to the stern looking girl. "I'm Arika! Arika Yumemiya!"

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Mai-X-ProjectThe law of physics: Whenever there's this much gay in one room, Shizuru manifests!When Shizuru said "Ara" for the first time, the "Ara" broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about. That was the beginning of fairies.

Nina leans on a pillar about 20 feet away from Tomoe and the stranger. she was dressed rather oddly, wasn't she? but Nina was only slightly curious. she could only stand there for a few minutes then get to the arena. 'i'm just making sure everything goes smoothly, nothing more' Nina stated in her head trying to look disinterested.

Quickly noticing the girl who spied on her and the poised girl, Arika uses her amazing agility to jump onto the pillar and land right in front of the angry-looking girl. "Hey you! Can you help me find 'Garderobe Academy'? You're wearing the same uniform as that other girl! So can you help me? Please? Please? Please?"

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Mai-X-ProjectThe law of physics: Whenever there's this much gay in one room, Shizuru manifests!When Shizuru said "Ara" for the first time, the "Ara" broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about. That was the beginning of fairies.

RedEyedWolf wrote:now the two were left alone, to Natsuki's discomfort. she almost called out for Nina to stay. it wasn't because she didn't want to be alone with her it was just the fact that she hated herself for being emotionally clingy, and the urge to tackle the woman in a fierce... hug at the moment was killing her but, she did have her pride...

then the realization hit "WAIT!" she kicked herself off the railing and glared at the beautiful woman "what kind of work? gah! i hate work! and what did you whisper to Nina!?" the blush creeped onto her face again.

damnit

Shizuru decided to ignore the flustered principal's inquiry into her little 'conversation' with Nina, secretly knowing that not answering the question would nag at her more than actually saying anything. Natsuki was much more poised and mature than the girl she had flirted with in the academy, but deep down she was still the same teasable little coral. Shizuru loved that Natsuki's fierce spirit had never allowed her to lose any part of who she was through all of these years. She wanted so badly to wrap her arms around the blushing woman like she used to as a pearl, but settled instead for adjusting her tie.

"Ara...what would people think if they heard their Gakuencho saying she didn't want to do her work? Is that the real reason you called me back to Garderobe?" She smiled playfully."Don't forget that we still have to keep an eye on Windbloom despite the festivities. Who knows what Schwarz is up to right now." Realizing that she had been looking at Natsuki for a little too long, Shizuru turned back to face the arena. What is taking Nina-san so long?

Ice Silver Crystal wrote:((Natsuki is taken on both roleplay threads. *sadness* Is anyone playing Irina Woods, Maya Blythe or Sara Gallagher?))

((Someone actually wants to play Irina Woods! Now that's thinking outside the box! <3 I'm inspired and will do something about that tomorrow. Back to your question, I don't believe anyone is playing them. You have a maximum of two Mai-Otome characters, so choose wisely. ^_~ ))

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Mai-X-ProjectThe law of physics: Whenever there's this much gay in one room, Shizuru manifests!When Shizuru said "Ara" for the first time, the "Ara" broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about. That was the beginning of fairies.

"this," Nina pointed to her uniform. "IS a Garderobe uniform and if the big sign or fenced in gate didn't give you any clue, THIS," then looking out on the scenery. "IS Garderobe." She let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. 'at least i'll be irradiated for the duel'

the girl looked like she was in deep thought, right before the ground began to shake, like an earthquake making Nina stumble against the back wall. then it suddenly stopped.

Nina glance at Tomoe who also looked a bit shaken. "what the hell was that?!"

---

'WHAT THE HELL DID SHE SAY TO NINA DAMNIT!'

Natsuki huffed, it's not like it really mattered what she said to the younger girl right? it just reminded her of youthful days. Nina must have looked similar to her when Shizuru did stuff like that back then...

Natsuki visibly flushed at the memories, memories where a certain pearl Otome would come up from behind her and wrap her arms around a much younger raven haired girl, she would even protest and try to pull away. she never tried as hard as she could, she felt safe in the embrace, Natsuki wanted that back...

"as far as your return goes.... i... uh.... i needed... help with said papers! yeah that's it!" Natsuki snapped her fingers as the idea clicked "it's just you always keep me organized and on time, with the queen breathing down my neck i just get angry!"

'breathing down my neck? that sounded odd...'

it apparently didn't sound as odd with a memory flashing through her mind of when Shizuru would lean over her and do just that, bringing the blush back full force with a vengeance to the Gakuencho's face.

"plus," Natsuki smirked at the crowd "you're my best fighter, with you here Windbloom is safe."

'wait... did i just call her mine... gah! i have to stop doing that! *mental head pound*'

she let out another gruff sigh, in truth she hadn't slept since Shizuru left, and just about everyone got on her nerves. the dark circles under her eyes should have been like a bright flashy sign that said " Even look at me funny and you lose an eye!"

Blinking her eyes a few times, Arika looks up and quickly takes the grumpy girl by the hand. "Watch out!" She pulls the girl to safety with impressive quickness as a giant foot crushes the pillar. As the dust clears, the curious Arika looks up and sees a giant monster like creature. "WHOA! What is THAT! Huh?! Huh!? Tell me, angry-girl!"

_________________

Mai-X-ProjectThe law of physics: Whenever there's this much gay in one room, Shizuru manifests!When Shizuru said "Ara" for the first time, the "Ara" broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about. That was the beginning of fairies.

Nina was shaken. looking up at the beast, oh she did recognize it...'a slave...' Nina whispered before grabbing Arika's hand and bolting away towards Tomoe.

"where's the Gakuencho and Viola-san?!" Nina shouted to almost no one.

the beasts hand came down swift upon the trio, knocking them far away from the building. Nina landed on top of Arika Quick to get up she stumbled noticing the wound in her leg. Fishsticks she cursed before looking down at the strange girl...

Words couldn't describe how much Shizuru wanted to stay and smile at the principal's exasperated rantings while marveling at her wide range of flustered facial expressions. However, a startlingly loud blast from below soon snapped the both of them out of their conversation.

Shizuru whirled around and leaned over the railing."A slave?" There hasn't been an attack like this in over a decade. What is going on? The two women exchanged looks. Moments later, Shizuru was fully materialized and ready to fight.

She swooped smoothly down to where the girls were grappling with the beast.

"I'll take it from here, ladies." The meister's gemstone glinted in the sunlight as she descended. "Come now," she called to the monster "leave these beautiful girls alone."

The creature reared and struck in the woman's general direction, but she was much too fast, quickly slicing with her whip sword. Once she struck, Shizuru landed gracefully as if the fight were over.

"You girls may want to stand back a bit," she smiled to the gaping trio. The slave stretched out an arm, only to have it fall to pieces, followed by the rest of its body. One explosion later, and the beast was gone.

jumping off the railing of the 3 story arena, Natsuki landed more solidly, contrast to her beautiful counterpart.

"see what i mean," Kruger smirked "best fighter." she then walked to stand next to the breathtaking Otome. she looked at those wine colored eyes and knew there really was nothing to fear as long as... Shizuru was... with her...

thump~

realizing she was leaning towards the other woman She swiftly turned away 'not now, Not Now, NOT NOW' Natsuki held her chest while trying to focus. this was not the time for... that. Crimson moved across her face. 'did i just try to kiss her..?'

turning her attention to the teens she noticed one she hadn't seen before, Nina was passed out along with the unknown girl. Nina was bleeding pretty bad and at the sight Natsuki took off towards her, crouching down Natsuki frantically called to Nina with no reaction before picking her up bridal style. looking over the two others, Tomoe looked like she could walk, and like hell was Natsuki about to let Shizuru's #1 fan girl be carried like Nina by Shizuru.

"Shizu- Viol- ya know what? to hell with it! Shizuru get this girl to the nurse!" pointing to the unknown girl. blood had started to pool down Natsuki's over coat, and in a frenzy she took off stopping next to shizuru while leaning in slightly to whisper." i just missed you ok, i hate it when you're far"Making sure no one saw, Kruger pecked Viola's cheek lightly before materializing and taking off into the sky to get Nina help as soon as possible.

Still out of it, Arika slowly rose to her feet and focused her attention on the beautiful woman in violet. "She was so amazing..." Arika thought to herself. Her eyes suddenly widened with happiness and glee. Still unable to comprehend what just happened, she was filled with joy nonetheless. What she just witnessed was a beautiful display of power and justice. "Kyaa! So cool!!!" Arika rushes over to the woman in violet. "My name is Arika! Arika Yumemiya! I've decided that I want to be just like you! I want to be an Otome like you and my mother! You can bet on that!"

_________________

Mai-X-ProjectThe law of physics: Whenever there's this much gay in one room, Shizuru manifests!When Shizuru said "Ara" for the first time, the "Ara" broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about. That was the beginning of fairies.

"Ara, aren't you cute?" Shizuru bent down and lightly pinched Arika's cheek. The girl had such a twinkle in her eye that she couldn't help but find her adorable. "I'm assuming you're heading to see the gakuencho then? If you're wanting to become an Tomoe." She could tell that the girl was pluckily going ahead, but had no idea where exactly she was going.

Is that gem...?

"Tomoe-san." She said softly. "You wouldn't mind telling everyone that the fights have been cancelled, would you? They're probably beginning to get restless out there." She judged by Tomoe's subtle expression that she didn't really want to leave this newcomer to get all of the Graceful Amethyst's attention. She leaned in close and fixed something on Tomoe's uniform. "That would be very helpful to me, Tomoe."

((i will be voicing Yohko for just this little bit kk, untill she is someone))

"she'll be fine Gakuencho, no bones were broken, just a bump to the head and the loss of blood." Yohko looked at the clipboard one last time. the Gakuencho seemed pretty shaken up, but not enough to really show it outwardly. she was sitting next to Nina's hospital bed in deep thought.

"the machines are working pretty hard on her, she'll be up in time for dinner." Yohko smiled reassuringly before stepping a little closer towards Kruger for a more private conversation.

"did you get it?" Yohko questioned.

"get what?" Kruger looked up bewildered before realization struck and her face lost all color."OH! that... heh... yeah, um, i did... yeah" Natsuki stumbled over every word.

Yohko's face brightened "Great! let me see it, you did go to the shop i told you about right?" she stepped forward a little.

Natsuki stood up and dug through her pocked a bit until her fingers curled around a box. "yeah yeah, i went to that place... that's why i was running late this morning" Kruger grumbled before taking out the fine Blue leather box.

Yohko looked like a little kid in a candy store waiting for Natsuki to open it.

"but don't you think it's a little..." Natsuki looked to the side and blushed "cliche'..."

Natsuki opened the box slightly just so Yohko could peak in and once a gasp was heard she quickly shut the box putting it right back in her pocket.

Yohko stood stunned and the Gakuencho tried to act like it was no big deal.

"that must have cost..."

"A lot!" Kruger stated before Yohko could finish "it was worth it though... and she's back today i don't want to just give it to her... it's not like i can be like 'here, this is because i was walking past a store on the other side of windbloom for no reason and thought of you'... i am so doomed, i can't give it too her now we have work, and a stupid slave and stupid strange girl and stupid Tomo---" Natsuki was cut off by Yohko's hand waving in front of her face.

"Earth to Kruger." Yohko giggled a tiny hint of a blush ran across Natsuki's face once more. "just, give it to her at the right time, you'll know when trust me." Yohko winked and Natsuki huffed and walked towards the door. she fixed her collar and looked back at the brightly smiling doctor.

Ever cell in Natsuki'd body was dyed red at the last comment, she stormed out the door and down the halls, the only sound must have been her stomping and Yohko's laughter. after heading out the doors she made a bee line to where Shizuru was, she was talking to the strange girl they had met, she wasn't close enough to hear but from the "Hearts" in the young girls eyes she could tell Shizuru had another fan instantly. Natsuki fingered the box in her pocket nervously.

The glimmering Blue Sky Sapphire hung around Arika's neck. It was immediately recognized by certain staff members around the Academy. As Arika walked through the halls she wondered why she was getting so many stares. "Have I done something wrong? AHHHH! Maybe this Gakuencho woman is scary!!!" Approaching the main door, she knocks quietly and raises her voice. "I'm Arika Yumemiya, the girl who was caught up in that monster's attack outside. May I come in? I want to become a student at your academy!!! Please!!!"

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Mai-X-ProjectThe law of physics: Whenever there's this much gay in one room, Shizuru manifests!When Shizuru said "Ara" for the first time, the "Ara" broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about. That was the beginning of fairies.

Mai-X-ProjectThe law of physics: Whenever there's this much gay in one room, Shizuru manifests!When Shizuru said "Ara" for the first time, the "Ara" broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about. That was the beginning of fairies.

Mai slowly but surely made her way to the door next to Arika, inviting herself in, Mikoto following behind. Mikoto's stomach sounded like someone dropped a bunch of bombs in a small area of land, her eyes looking dead.

"Mai... I can't take it anymore. Can I please eat now?" Mikoto's stomach growled even louder, causing her stomach to have a quick but very sharp pain.

"Mikoto, wait until I give food to the others, then we can all eat together. Promise."

Mikoto gave Mai a disappointed look as she set the bags of food on the table.

Mai put the huge load of food on the table and set all of the food up for everyone to dig into.

"Well, it's all set up. Dig in everyone!" Mai smiled.

"Ramen!" Mikoto grabbed the biggest bowl of Ramen she could find, and sure enough, she ate that sucker so fast, she felt her stomach ready to explode. "Ow."

Mai put her hand to her head and sighed, knowing Mikoto would do exactly that.

Natsuki who had been silently doing her work jumped at the sound of her office door almost slamming against the wall. A busty red head walked in with a cat like girl following behind.

“mai….?” Kruger swiftly stood up as all the food was set upon HER desk. The cat seemed to dig into the 5 boxes laid in front of her and two were near Natsuki herself. Noticing that not much talking would go on until lunch was finished Kruger sat down and let out a slow sigh. Upon further inspection one of the boxes containing food the first one had ‘Natsuki- chan’s ‘ written on the top. Kruger visibly twitched at the notion of being called that.

‘WE AREN’T IN SCHOOL ANY MORE’ Kruger mentally yelled

Settling down she then lifted up her “food” to gaze at the writing of the 2nd box…

“Natsuki-chan’s Girlfriend’s” Natsuki visibly paled this time. There was no way she could give that box to Shizuru!

Now she was really fuming, first the slave, then the thing she had to somehow give to shizuru and NOW a food box with suggestive meaning!!!! God could this day get any worse!

Natsuki stood up again and was about to yell, until she noticed another person in the room. Looking her up and down Kruger could tell she must have been from the desert, her brown hair was tied and she was wearing a necklace….

‘that can’t be the….’

Kruger cleared her throat and all eyes seemed to go directly to her, well except the cat goddess’s who was more interested in eating.

“You, girl. What is your business at Garderobe?” Kruger went right into Gakuencho mode, the likes of which usually scared the Fishsticks out of grown men.

In a quick rush, Arika forces her way through door and leaps onto the Gakuenchou's desk. "Oh please, Headmistress! Let me become a student at your academy! I want to become a great Otome like that ruby-eyed purple woman outside who defeated that scary monster! Oh please let me join, I'll do-"

Arika's eyes suddenly focused on the Fire Stirring Ruby's gigantic sized pair of Melons. "Whaa!!! I can't believe how big your breasts are!!! Who do you have them massaged by!?!?"

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Mai-X-ProjectThe law of physics: Whenever there's this much gay in one room, Shizuru manifests!When Shizuru said "Ara" for the first time, the "Ara" broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about. That was the beginning of fairies.